


Land of Rockets - Cruel Necessity

by Bomber_Harris



Series: A Candle's Fire [2]
Category: Kino no Tabi | Kino's Journey - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Gun Violence, Nonbinary Character, Other, Political Philosophy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29788662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bomber_Harris/pseuds/Bomber_Harris
Summary: A story of a society without a state, featuring a traveler, a motorrad, a cosmonaut, a captain and a man with a bucket on his head.
Series: A Candle's Fire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163486





	1. Chapter 1

Sitting underneath a bed of stars was a tiny encampment surrounded by trees. In the middle was a fire, crackling and sparking as the wood burnt up and disintegrated. Resting in a sleeping bag placed next to one of the trees was a person, their eyes closed and their mouth letting out small breaths. The stranger had brown hair which was cut quite short, and was wearing an army green coat which covered their upper torso while in the bag. On their chest rested a large .44 persuader*, which they had one hand upon it’s grip as they rested. Propped up on a tree across from them was a motorrad**, a Brough Superior model to be exact. On each side of its back wheels rested two large black boxes, and smaller containers and bags were tied or attached to its sides. For some time, the only noise that could be heard was the crackling of the fire and the occasional rustling of leaves due to the wind.

“Are you awake, Kino?” The motorrad asked, interrupting the quiet. The stranger opened their eyes a little and nodded.

“Yup. Can’t really go to sleep until the fire goes out.” They responded. “Would be pretty irresponsible.”

“So what are you doing now, then?”

“Resting, and thinking.”

“About what?” Kino was silent for a few moments; they had their mouth open like they were going to speak, but they hadn’t found the words yet. “If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t worry about it.”

“No, I’m fine, Hermes. I don’t know whether it would make any sense, but I’ll try my best.” Kino insisted. They took a moment to breathe before speaking again. “Before the events of the last couple of days, I started to have a lot on my mind. Something reminded me of someone we’ve met.”

“Who was it?”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The job’s details are a bit vague, but they’re a trusted client and the country has provided good work before.” An older man explained. He was standing at a desk with a sign that read “Contracts and Assignments for Bounty Hunters, Guards and Travelers”. Kino had been early to rise and enter the line and thus had first pick. Behind the traveler was a decently-long line of people, their persuaders holstered and most kept to themselves. “Her name’s Voline. She’s one of the top scientists working on their country’s rocketry program.”

“Rocketry?” Kino asked.

“They think that they’ll be able to send up a manned mission to the moon in the next three days. She’s gonna be on it, along with a few others.” He said, his skepticism about the mission very apparent in his tone. “According to the contract, she’s asking for protection until the launch. Previous hires have sung her praises when it came to conduct and following guidelines, so you shouldn’t have any issues with that.”

“Mind if I look at the contract?”

“Of course.” He placed a piece of paper down on the desk and slid it towards Kino. They grabbed it and quickly looked it over; alongside a hefty sum of money promised to whoever took up the contract was a picture of Voline, who was relaxing with a few other scientists, or as the contract called them, cosmonauts. She had blonde hair which was tied into a ponytail, and was wearing a one-piece brown suit that looked like something a fireman would wear. Kino put the paper back down, but they couldn’t seem to stop looking at the photo.

“Anything else I should know?”

“I do remember her saying something about free room, board and food for anyone who takes the con-”

“Deal.” Kino grabbed the paper and shook the man’s hands. The man gave a confused smile.

“Oh, well alrighty then. Best of luck.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, I don’t know a whole lot about the country, other than that they’re a bit… different, shall we say. So take care.”

“I will, thanks.” The traveler quickly walked past the line of people and out the building. As the doors opened, a gust of wind blasted into them, almost pushing them back. They held their ground and advanced into the outside; the ground was being pelted by rain, turning the dirt roads into mud. Kino quickly shoved the paper into one of the pockets of their brown trench coat and began to wade through the mud, holding their hunting hat with their hand to keep it from blowing away. The weather didn’t bother them much, however, and as they walked back to their motorrad, Kino couldn’t help but think about the past.

When Kino had first entered that country all those years ago, they thought they had made a terrible mistake. Not because underneath the surface was some dark, unspoken mystery, because that would at least be exciting. As they tried to stay awake listening to the country’s leader ramble about how agricultural output had increased by 0.1% in the past year, and that crop growth had been expanding thanks to government action, a part of them wanted to pack their bags and leave right then and there. Surely, nothing could be interesting about this country.

Then she walked in. Or, burst in would be more accurate; as the door to the room flung open, Kino could see a rather angry looking woman in a light brown dress storm into the room and begin to argue with the leader. The woman was named Nimya, and she was upset over the government’s refusal to move a statue which was interfering with her research. The leader defended himself, and eventually had the guards drag her out, but the ferocity of the girl’s convictions made Kino curious. They excused themselves and followed suit, eventually finding themselves at Nimya’s residence. There, she showed the traveler her research; an attempt at heavier-than-air flight, called a biplane. It looked strange; between the cockpit were two sets of wings which would help the thing glide through the air, along with a propeller which would regulate the speed of the craft.

Nimya was convinced that with the right tweaks and fixes, the thing could fly for an extended amount of time. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Kino found themselves staying for the night. Nothing seemed to curb her ambitions, be it the protests of her husband or even a declaration by the leader saying that the machine would be destroyed the very next day. But the question of how to get the thing off the ground was quite difficult; a statue was in the way of a road which was to be used as a runway, meaning that the plane would just crash into it before taking off. When Kino spoke about how persuaders used propellant to launch projectiles through the air, Nimya was ecstatic, and she launched herself towards them and knocked them to the ground. The new design would be mounted with homemade cannons firing blanks to help push the thing into the air.

The next day, the biplane flew without a hitch thanks to Kino’s advice, and the once hostile government came to respect Nimya. But as Kino said goodbye and left, they couldn’t help but feel like they had made a mistake. They felt like they could remember a few glances that Nimya shot them with here and there, and as much as they insisted to Hermes that them being hugged to the ground by her was merely excitement over her project getting that close to success, Kino wasn’t entirely sure themselves. Now, the sight of another blonde engineer was bringing back memories they wanted to forget. 

After trudging through the mud for a little bit, Kino mounted Hermes and drove on for sometime, making sure to be extra slow around tight corners and areas that would be a lot safer were it not for the rain. Eventually, they could see up ahead their destination; a walled-off country resting on the side of a river. Black and red banners hung from the side of the medieval walls, and guards dressed in civilian clothes patrolled around with long rifle persuaders. Another road could be seen going off into the distance, with a sign that read “People’s Rocketry Program” providing directions. Kino stopped at the gate before two of the guards.

“Halt! State your business!” One of the guards shouted.

“I’m a traveler. Me and my friend Hermes wish to enter your country as apar-”

“Refrain from that term, traveler!” He barked.

“I’m sorry?” Kino asked.

“We are not a country. We are an autonomous collective made up of syndicates and councils that have thrown off the authority of the state; a commune, if you will!” He asserted. Kino still looked confused, and the other guard sighed.

“What he’s trying to say is that the term “country” has a negative connotation here.” The guard explained.

“Apologies, I’ll refrain from using it then.” They responded. “I’ve been hired to work within your coun- er, commune, and I’d like to enter.”

“Is that so? What for?”

“Bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard? What, is the militia not good enough for the market’s beneficiaries?! They think they can hand out a license to kill to just anyone, it seems.” The angry guard grumbled.

“Not really our business, comrade.” The other guard responded, silencing his compatriot. “If you’d like, traveler, I can guide you to whoever your client is. Get you out of this weather as soon as possible.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you who I am protecting. I don’t want to risk my client’s safety, no offense.”

“None taken. I can still tour you around if that’s alright with you?” He asked. They nodded; the other guard remained silent while Kino wheeled Hermes through the gates and onto the stone and concrete roads. The country- or commune - was a mix of old Baroque buildings with newer steel buildings which had workers funneling in and out of them. Along the other side of the street marched a column of militiamen, wearing what looked like black pajamas and being led by a woman in a similar uniform. Kino was unimpressed; none of them were marching in step, and the persuaders they were carrying made them want to vomit. Most had these Mauser rifles which had bolts which were corroded and past praying for, and a few of the soldiers looked too small to carry them. The others either had rusted Nagant revolvers or billy-clubs, and none had proper holsters or slings for any of their weapons.

“Kino, why did you even accept this job?” Hermes asked.

“Well…” They paused for a moment to think of an answer that didn’t bring up the past, before saying “they promised free room and board. Food as well.”

“Of course.” Hermes joked.

“Well of course it’s free.” The guard commented. “We don’t use money.”

“You don’t?”

“Other than for trading with the outside world and paying for services like yours, no. Our society believes that labor and the acquiring of goods should be based on individual desire and motivation, rather than the threat of starvation or exploitation. If somebody wants something, they take it; simple as.”

“So what stops someone from just taking everything from a store, then?” Kino asked.

“Worst comes to worse, the militia will try to arrest them, but it usually never comes to that. Thing is, people are often just satisfied with what they get. Rather than waste time trying to determine how much labor is worth this or that product, we just distribute goods based on individual requirements.”

“Oh, I get it. From each according to his agility, to each according to his needs.” Hermes remarked.

“I believe it's ability, not agility.” Kino corrected.

“Yes, that’s it!” He exclaimed. As they continued to follow the guard, Kino was astonished to see what could only be described as a society where the working-class was in the saddle. Every factory, shop and restaurant had the same black and red banners hanging from it, along with signs proclaiming the end of “bourgeois ownership” and the ascension of “revolutionary collectivization”. Every person could be heard addressing others not as “sir” or “madam”, but as “comrade”, and even the waiters and shoe-shiners were treated as equals. Many sported some kind of red-and-black article of clothing, be they armbands, hats or shoes; even kids playing with one another seemed to have a similar fashion sense. Radios blasted music celebrating some great revolution of years prior, and murals and posters praised the militiamen and workers for their fidelity to the commune.

“Over that way are a bunch more businesses, hotels in particular.” The guard said, pointing down one of the roads. “There is the route to the Central Committee; that’s where everyone gathers to vote and debate politics. On the far-right is the way to the research district, universities and the like. Far-left will take you to the militia barracks and training grounds. I think that’s the basics.”

“Thank you for the help.” Kino said.

“Don’t mention it, comrade. Take care.” He walked away back towards his post, while Kino looked around for any sign of Voline. The best guess was the research district, so they mounted Hermes and drove along the road towards there. 

“Hey, Kino?” Hermes asked.

“Yes?” 

“Since everything here is free, we’re gonna milk this place dry, right?”

“Oh most certainly.” They replied. As the harsh weather started to die down and turn into a light drizzle, Kino could see a large Baroque building, with a fountain out front and hedgerows lining each side. A large set of staircases led to an even larger set of doors, which seemed to go up several flights. Many people could be seen walking out of it, wearing either lab coats or the brown one-piece suit that Kino saw in the picture. Kino’s eyes wandered until they could see a blonde woman in the suit speaking to a male colleague; they stopped for a moment and quickly took out the photo and compared it to them, concluding that it must be them. They drove on ahead and parked right before the two along the road.

“Is your name Voline?” They asked. The woman looked up and smiled.

“That’s me. What is it, comrade?” She asked. Kino was starting to regret coming here; her voice even sounded like Nimya. They took the piece of paper and handed it to her.

“I took up a contract that you had put out.” The woman skimmed over the paper with their eyes and put it in the pocket of their suit.

“Excellent. We’ll talk later, Pyotr.” She told her friend; he nodded and walked away. “What’s your name, comrade?”

“I’m Kino, and this is Hermes.” They pointed to the motorrad.

“Hi there!” Hermes chirped.

“I look forward to working with you both. Are you already armed?”

“Of course. Three persuaders; two pistols-” They pushed back their coat to show a revolver on their hip and a pistol holstered on their back, “-and a rifle in these cases on Hermes.”

“Great. Hopefully, you won’t have to use it; it’s mostly pretty safe now. But occasionally we run into some trouble, and sadly the militias aren’t much help.” She explained.

“I saw some of them marching by. Your commune doesn’t have a standing army, then?”

“No. We believe it to be a weapon of tyranny used by the state to suppress liberty. Sadly, this means we’re left with the militias, which are either quite poor in combat or…” She trailed off for a moment as she turned her head to the right. “Speak of the devil.” Marching along the road was a column of soldiers; they were dressed quite differently from the other militiamen, wearing metal plates and helmets on top of farmer’s clothing. Their persuaders were somewhat better than the others, as the majority carried Lee-Enfield rifles which were decently polished. 

Leading the troop was a strange looking man; Underneath a black hat with a buckle wrapped around it flowed blonde hair which rested upon his shoulders. He wore a dark blue uniform with bronze buttons and a cape which stopped at his knees. His face carried a frown, and as he lectured to his men, Kino concluded that that was, without a doubt, the strangest accent they had ever heard.

“... And these lowly sinners who disrespect the work of the Lord have no dignity or reverence for the law of heaven! For when the first man delved and the first woman span, who then was the gentlemen?! The father of all lies tempted the redeemer thrice with promises of food, salvation and the kingdoms of the earth, and thrice did he in turn reject the devil! In His glory, we have established an order which recognizes no man above Him, and we shall suffer daily until He at last comes and judges all damned souls!”*** He lectured, speaking with a ferocity and conviction that gripped the militiamen. He shouted “Halt!” and his unit immediately stopped marching, standing in place and resting the butt of their rifles on the ground. The man walked over towards Kino and Voline, his hands folded upon his chest.

“Captain Winstanley, how are you?” Voline asked.

“As long as the great beast walks the earth, my answer shall always be “vigilant and at the ready”, for any other answer would be a sin in the eyes of the Creator.” He said. “I come to you to ask for your vote on the upcoming provisions.”

“You mean the one on alcohol? I’m afraid I don’t see the logic of it.” She responded calmly. “Why would we need to restrict alcohol consumption?”

“The Scripture is clear on the matter, Vowl-Line.” He said, his pronunciation of the woman’s name hard to decipher. “Though its occasional usage can benefit the mind and spirit, its overuse will destroy man’s foundations and render him a base and cruel animal. It’s rationing would ensure that the average working man would become temperate and restrained in his demeanor.”

“But Winstanley, the commune doesn’t follow any particular religion.”

“It does so at its own peril! For all who do not walk in the light will inevitably walk in darkness! Our revolution was not the act of any state, but a chance at redemption offered by Providence, and their patience is not to be tested. For we are but sinners in the hands of an angry God, and until we prove ourselves, the Prince of Darkness will continue to follow us even when we die. We cannot compromise with such forces.”

“Then I’m afraid I won’t vote for it. I don’t drink much myself, but I simply can’t agree.”

“A shame. You’ll see the reason for this in due time, Vowl-Line.” He said confidently. He cocked his head to face Kino. “And who is this standing before me? I can’t say that I’ve seen you before.”

“I’m Kino.”

“And what brings you to our common-wealth, Kay-Noe?” Winstanley asked.

“I’m a traveler.”

“I also hired them as a bodyguard for a few days, Winstanley.” Voline explained.

“Aye, it is unfortunate that many of the militias here are not up to the task, wasting away with the devil’s drink and fornicating as opposed to drill and prayer.” He lamented. “I’m afraid I must go now. Always remember that sin cannot be escaped in the mortal shell, and that only in the glory of the Creator shall redemption be found.” The man preached, turning around and ordering his unit to start marching again. As he began to speak to them once more, Kino looked up to Voline with a perplexed expression.

“He tells that to everyone. Come along now.” She said.

“I think I’m just not going to talk when he’s around. He’ll probably burn you for witchcraft, Kino.” Hermes remarked.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The scientist guided Kino and Hermes towards their home, a decently-sized house hugging the walls of the commune. It was painted white, with a black-tile roof which slanted diagonally to the left and right and a garden out front. Kino carefully pushed Hermes up the stairs with Voline’s help and entered the building itself. The traveler took their hat off and shook their head for a second, trying to dry off their hair. They turned to see that some of the water had landed upon Voline.

“My apologies.” Kino said, scratching the back of their head. Voline proceeded to shake off the water on her head, causing Kino to giggle.

“Now we’re equal.” She said. Voline took her bodyguard’s coat and hung it up on a coat hanger, and Kino placed their hat with it as well. The house seemed somewhat big for what looked like only one person, and questions from before were still dangling in Kino’s mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, the contract was a little…”

“Vague?”

“Yes. I was wondering why.”

“Well, in case somebody who can’t be trusted finds out, I don’t want to say too much.”

“Do the scientists here have that many enemies?”

“Eh, not me personally. Our commune in general has had problems with various unsavory characters. Please, sit down- and hang your other coat up as well, if you could; don’t want the chairs to get wet.” She walked over to the kitchen. “You drink tea, by chance?”

“I do.” Kino took off their green coat as well, revealing a white dress shirt underneath. They parked Hermes next to the set of chairs, sat down in them and watched while Voline prepared the tea.

“See, our commune was never going to have a lot of friends by its nature. When we overthrew the king all those years ago, the general consensus was that we weren’t just going to do things the old ways.”

“Right. I remember getting told by a guard not to call this place a country.” Kino noted.

“Precisely. We had heard about other revolutions which had degenerated into dictatorships and had no desire to repeat their mistakes.” She said. “When the people are beaten with a stick, they aren’t much happier if it is called “the People’s Stick”.”

“But this created a lot of enemies, then?” Hermes questioned.

“Not as many as we thought, thankfully. The fact that we still trade with money meant that some of our neighbors weren’t hostile. But others weren’t so keen. They’ve tried to sabotage our rocket program quite a few times.”

“Why that in particular?” 

“Because it would be a massive propaganda victory for us. The statists have clai- sorry, talking in terminology, my bad.” She said, a bit quieter at the end. She walked over with the tea and a plate and handed it to Kino. Voline sat down across from them and took a sip of the drink. 

“What do you mean by “statist”?” Kino inquired.

“It’s what we call the enemies of the revolution. People who are so attached to government and all the ill fortunes it brings that they would kill for it. Be they industrialists, monarchs or even self-proclaimed revolutionaries, they all are tyrants. And that’s why rocketry is so important; if we can do that, then any claim of government being the only way to organize society will fall flat. If a stateless society launched a successful mission to the moon, then more people will see the righteousness of our cause.”

“I see. So various actors have tried to stop the mission because they know how important it is.” Kino commented. “How have they tried to stop it?”

“Depends. Assassination attempts on lead scientists, bombings, kidnappings, mechanical sabotage, stealing our equipment and blueprints; just about anything, really.” She sounded exhausted just listing them off. “Hard enough as is getting a rocket in the air to transport a landing craft that will safely hold three people and eventually get them back to earth.”

“What about you personally?”

“It’s mostly just stuff happening to the rocketry program in general. Aside from being in the craft itself and helping with engine research, I’m not that important.”

“I’d say that that’s pretty important. Being one of the only people to ever set foot on the moon is nothing to scoff at.” Hermes said.

“I suppose.” She responded. “Have you done this kind of work before, comrade?”

“I have.”

“How often?”

“Every now and again when money is tight. Being a traveler can also be pretty dangerous in and of itself, so I learned a few things from that.”

“I’m glad to hear it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of you at first. Most of the bodyguards I’ve had were big burly guys lugging around giant persuaders, not a cute fella like yourself!” Voline teased. Kino’s face went red and they shyly looked to the side.

“You know, I’d like to look around the house to get a feel for it. For security reasons.” The traveler said, their nervousness slightly audible. They rose from their seat and began to walk towards a flight of stairs on the far side of the house.

“Are you sure? You haven’t finished your tea yet.”

“You gave me a job and I need to do it. I’d like to make sure that if anything happens, we can move effectively through here.” They responded. Kino quickly moved up the stairs and out of sight, looking around at the dark blue walls and out the windows bringing in light. 

Kino’s excursion to look around and get a feel for things was genuine, but it was also a nice excuse to leave and take a moment to breathe. They weren’t even sure why they acted like that; Kino prided themselves in acting professionally and taking compliments respectfully and modestly, even those of a physical nature. But Voline makes one comment and now they had trouble keeping it all together. It was a strange feeling; they could feel their throat tightening and a flutter in their stomach. The last time they felt like that was… oh, right.

Pushing that thought to the side, Kino carefully inspected the living quarters of their client. The bedroom had every wall filled up with blueprints, schematics and posters of various spacecraft and its parts all around. A small desk with a headlamp, a few pencils, a ruler and even more schematics was placed near the window. The only other notable items and things within the room were a small bed, a drawer and a closet. Looking out the window, Kino could see the street along with several buildings with their rooftops at eye level. The glass was bulletproof, but that kind of exposure could be an issue. 

They walked out of Voline’s room into the guest room, which had an identical layout to the former but lacking the personal flair. The walls were unremarkable and had no decoration whatsoever, and the drawers and closet were empty. The window faced out to the back of the house and towards the walls of the commune; not a great sight, but arguably safer. 

Finally, there was the upstairs bathroom; the sight of a shower for Kino was like finding the holy grail. The window above the toilet was also looking out at the street and balconies, but it was much smaller than the others. They figured that if the house was under fire, they could use this point to open fire while still being under cover. They walked out the bathroom and down the stairs; Voline was taking a sip of her tea and Hermes was probably asleep.

“If at all possible, I think it would be wise for you to sleep in the guest room for the next few nights.” Kino recommended.

“Really? How come?” Voline asked.

“The window in your room gives a direct line of sight to anyone on the rooftops. Granted, it will resist most bullet types, but we need to restrict the enemy’s line of sight as much as possible. Furthermore, higher-caliber rounds and explosives will still shatter the glass, so we need to prepare.” 

“Sounds good to me. Anything else?” The traveler looked around the room briefly.

“How many exits do you have leading to the back of the house?”

“There’s the back door, and a few windows that I think I could fit through.”

“Are you certain? Have you tested going through them?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“We’ll need to check then.” 

“Very well.” Voline placed the tea down on the table and rose from their seat. Inspecting some of the windows in the backrooms of the house, the two determined that most of them could only be exited by a child or a particularly small person. Only one of the windows was large enough, and even then it was a tight fit. As Kino slid through feet-first, they landed upon the ground and caused the mud to splash a little.

“Alright Voline, you ne-” Kino was interrupted as some mud flew into their face. Opening their eyes, they could see that Voline had landed right besides them.

“Probably should have waited a little longer. Oops.” She said. The traveler stomped their right food down, kicking up some mud and landing on Voline.

“Now we’re equal.” They teased. The scientist laughed.

“Guess I deserved that.”

Shortly after looking over the house and determining possible points of entry and exit, Kino took a shower and emerged shortly afterwards. Voline had put out a set of white silk pajamas for them on the floor outside the bathroom; the little bit of sunlight that was out had been extinguished, and the city was now lit up by street lamps and the inner lights of the houses and businesses. They dried their hair, put on the pajamas and left the bathroom. A crack in the door to the guest room showed Voline having passed out on the bed and sleeping soundly. Kino entered the other room and did the same, while Hermes rested down below.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime early in the morning, Voline could hear what sounded like a continuous clicking and whirring of some kind of mechanical object. As she wiped her eyes and slowly rose from her bed, she determined that it was coming from where Kino was sleeping. Voline carefully placed her feet upon the ground and moved in a way so that noise was minimized, by placing the heel first and then gently pressing the rest of the foot down. Slowly but surely, they inched over to the room and looked through a crack in the door; she could see Kino fully dressed, holding out a revolver before them and pointing it towards the window. They then placed the persuader back in its holster and drew a smaller pistol, which was holstered up on their back. As they pulled out the revolver once more, Kino turned their head to see Voline.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” They asked. 

“Not at all. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“No worries.” Kino insisted. “I was just practicing my draw.”

“I see.” Voline entered the room and watched as Kino holstered the revolver and then pulled out the pistol, lining up the sights with their eye. “You’re pretty quick.”

“You have to be when traveling. If you don’t draw first, that’s it; it’s over.” They explained, continuing to repeat the cycle of drawing one persuader and then the other. “It’s why you have to practice. That, and… well, that part might not make much sense to you.”

“What part?” She asked.

“It’s a little strange…” Kino said quietly; they weren’t even really sure why they were telling her this. “It can also be calming. You get lost in the repetition, and it clears your head. Something like that.” The traveler holstered their weapon and scratched the back of their head. “Like I said, it doesn’t make much sense.”

“No, it actually does. I remember hearing that some priests meditate with martial arts. Sometimes they’d use knives or even spears.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Some of them still hang around here, actually.” Voline noted. “I don’t really know persuaders, but that revolver there looks pretty old.” Kino held out the persuader.

“It’s called Cannon. Got it when I was young. Interesting thing about it is that it doesn’t use traditional gunpowder.”

“What does it use instead?”

“Liquid propellant.”

“Ah, I see. Rockets use propellant as well, although it has to be much stronger and a lot more is used.”

“Huh. So a rocket’s like a massive bullet, then.” Voline chuckled.

“A bit, yeah. Or, maybe more like a massive persuader; the blast from the engine is kind of like recoil, and making it strong enough to push off the ground and into space is half the challenge.” Through the shades, the two could see light starting to creep into the room. “I should start to get ready for today. I can tell you more later if you’d like.”

“Certainly.” They responded. As Voline exited the room, Kino thought of how Nimya was able to get her plane off the ground thanks to using the recoil of the cannons. They continued to drill in order to think of something else.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t know how it broke again. I swear we just had it repaired.” Kino despaired.

“I knew it! That mechanic seemed pretty stupid; I don’t think he’d ever seen a motorrad.” Hermes reckoned.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I? He looked at the thing for four hours, and somehow he didn’t get a clue. That’s embarrassing.” As the motorrad and the rider discussed their dilemma, Voline emerged from the house fully dressed to check in.

“Something the matter?” She asked. Kino looked up and nodded.

“The speedometer isn’t working. I paid to have it repaired a little while back, but it just broke again. I’ll have to take it to a watchmaker.”

“Or, maybe not…” Voline said quietly, holding her chin with her hand. “Kino, you have a screwdriver by chance?” They pulled out a set of screwdrivers from a bag tied to Hermes and handed it over. She used one of them to unscrew the speedometer off and turned it over. She inspected the parts quietly for a few moments, before saying “I think I’ll need a tweezer as well, if you have one.”

“You think you can fix it?” Kino asked.

“I can try.” The traveler handed a tweezer from another bag over to her. They watched as Voline carefully moved a gear very slightly over to the right, before screwing the speedometer back on. “One of the gears looked a bit loose, but that should be fixed now. Try revving the engines and see what happens.” Kino kicked the engines on and watched as the speedometer’s arrow moved with it; they were stunned.

“How did you…”

“I was a mechanic before I was in the Rocketry Program. Some of the stuff I learned there is still floating around this head of mine.” She bragged. 

“Incredible! Thank you, miss!” Hermes exclaimed. 

“Anything I can do to help. Now, where do you want me to sit?” She asked. Kino looked confused.

“Pardon?” They asked.

“On the motorrad. You know, to get to the Program headquarters; I have to do some last-minute preparations with my comrades for tomorrow.”

“Oh. Well, I’m not sure the seat is big enough.”

“That’s an easy fix. I could just slide in and put my arms around your waist; that could constrict it just enough so that I can fit.” Voline explained. 

“Oh. Right, yeah, we could do that.” They muttered.

“Everything holding up on your end, traveler?”

“I’m fine! I’m all set.” Kino insisted. Voline sat down behind the traveler and wrapped her arms around them. Kino gulped and steadied their breathing as they drove on ahead.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The People’s Rocketry Program was hard to miss; right ahead of Kino was a building at least forty stories high, surrounded by a barbed-wire fence and flanked by various guards. Even further in the distance, they could see the tip of what they presumed to be the rocket, though the rest of it was obscured by trees and smaller buildings surrounding the skyscraper before them. Along the road were various signs giving instructions for those entering the facilities, such as what items not to bring and what kind of clearance levels give you access to which buildings.

“I’m afraid to say that bodyguards like yourself aren’t allowed inside the building, Kino. They’re worried about potential spies and such.” Voline explained. “You’re gonna have to drop me off at the gates and then come back later.”

“Sounds like you didn’t really need a bodyguard then, miss.” Hermes commented.

“Well, I was worried about getting struck during non-work hours, as I’ve had comrades who were pretty unlucky. Besides, I’ve enjoyed the company.” She said, smiling. Kino slowed the vehicle to a crawl while approaching the gates, eventually stopping it when close enough. Voline got off the vehicle and waved as she walked away. “See you soon.”

“See you soon.” Kino responded. They watched as Voline spoke to one of the guards and the gates opened and then closed for her.

“So what now?” Hermes asked.

“Well, we’ve got the whole rest of the day. Let’s see what we can find.” They turned the motorrad around and drove onwards. The weather was much better than previously, as the sun was out in full force and Kino couldn’t see a single cloud in the perfectly blue sky. The road was in surprisingly good shape despite the weather, though some of the bends were a tad difficult to maneuver through. As the traveler re-entered the forest which covered the road leading to the commune, they breathed a sigh of relief.

“What’s that about?” 

“Huh?”

“That sigh. Why are you sighing?”

“It’s nothing, I was just breathing.”

“Right. Just breathing.” Hermes said snarkily. For a little while longer they drove through the woods, eventually emerging before the commune’s entrance. Kino could see that strange man, Winstanley, drilling his soldiers and lecturing them.

“Now, the enemy nations are examples of what occurs when the devil weeds his way into even the most God-fearing of communities! The state acts as a persuader in the unholy father’s arsenal, striking down the innocent with precision and speed! It is for that reason that the True Levellers’ Militia is unique in the swamp that is our armed forces, for it truly stands alone against devilry!” He shouted passionately. The men and women within the unit stood firmly in position while he spoke, not even so much as nodding in agreement. Winstanley turned to see the traveler approaching on their vehicle from the direction of the Rocketry Program complex. “The traveler Kay-Noe graces our presence once more.”

“Just trying to pass through, if at all possible.” They requested politely.

“In due time. Once I am finished instructing the fine soldiers of the common-wealth in their duties to heaven, we shall move posthaste to make way.” He responded. “Why is it that you come from the direction of the Rocketry Program?”

“Bodyguards aren’t allowed inside, so I’ve decided to return here.”

“Of course. Our continued quest to soar into the skies above is a most holy task, you agree? For even if we do not succeed, they very thought is enough to make the Lord smile. Like the colonists of old, we shall settle in the new world and spread His message to all who will listen.” He declared. 

“Right, well I wish you the best of luc-” Kino’s excuse to leave the conversation was interrupted by a loud boom off in the distance. They turned around to see a column of smoke pouring from one of the floors of the Rocketry Program’s main building, followed by several machine persuader shots which rang through the area. Without missing a beat, Kino turned Hermes around and drove ahead full speed, while Winstanley ordered his men to grab some trucks and move out.

 _Hang on tight, Voline. I’ll be right there_ , Kino thought.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strutting through the war-torn building while bullets whizzed by and men shouted at civilians to keep their hands in the air, a lone man walked by in a strange garb. Upon his head was a makeshift helmet, shaped like a bucket and with a narrow slit for vision. He wore a brown long coat, and he had also covered his chest, waist and shoulders with metal plates as well. In his hands was a Model 97 shotgun, an old weapon which uses a pump to load each shell into the chamber. On his hip was a Single Action Army Colt revolver, which gleamed when his coat didn’t obscure it. As he watched his men round up prisoners and fire upon the militia, the man couldn’t help but think that they were missing something.

“The militia has been pushed out the building.” One of the armed men reported, pointing his persuader at a bunch of scientists lying on the floor. “Saw a bunch of them running to the other buildings, and a few running back to the commune.”

“Excellent. As long as we solidify our holdings here, then the operation is sure to succeed.” He said, his accent posh and his voice slightly high-pitched. “Have we located any of the cosmonauts?”

“Squads A and B found Nestor and Bakunin and have detained them. Nothing yet on Voline or Pyotr.”

“We shall find them soon enough.” He said confidently. “Hold your post for now, and fire upon anyone who tries to escape.”

“Yes, comrade.” The other man responded. The armored man continued to strut forth, brandishing his shotgun and watching the other armed men fire down from the windows. Those unfortunate enough to be stuck in the building had either been zip-tied or were being held at gunpoint, and on the lower floors more shots continued to ring out. The armored man continued to walk around the offices and look down the halls, curious as to the remaining cosmonaut’s location. As he turned to his left, he could see a red-haired woman firing upon an attempted escapee with a large hand persuader called a Desert Eagle. He knew his smile wouldn’t be seen, but he grinned anyways.

“Making short work, I see?” He complimented.

“Of course, comrade. Anything you need?”

“Would you assist me in finding comrades Voline and Pyotr? I’m afraid they haven’t been located yet.” She nodded, and the two continued to search around. While searching through an office originally belonging to the chief of security, the armored man thought he could hear some kind of metal banging in the ventilation shafts. He quickly grabbed the attention of two armed men walking by, and pointed up to the roof. They both nodded and both walked in. One quickly lifted the other and pulled at a lever keeping one section of the shaft from falling apart. The person within fell onto the ground and was quickly grabbed by the woman with the large persuader. Inspecting the individual, the armored man recognized the person as Voline, one of the four cosmonauts who would be sent to space the next day. She spat in the face of the woman holding her down.

“Get your hands off of me!” She shouted. The woman didn’t flinch and held her ground. The armored man knelt down and looked Voline in the eyes; despite her predicament, she didn’t seem at all scared.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, comrade Voline. It’s a shame we couldn’t meet earlier under better circumstances.” He said politely, his voice ringing off the metal helmet. Voline scowled.

“I am not your comrade! Whoever you are, you’re actively damaging the revolution and the people’s freedom!”

“ _Au contraire_ , my good friend! What we are doing today is our best chance at saving it.” He said joyfully. Voline looked confused.

“By shooting our best scientists and gunning down militia members, you think that you’re doing us a favor?!” She protested.

“It’s unfortunate, yes, but these things happen. Tell me, comrade, would you happen to know where your good friend Pyotr is at the moment? We need his assistance.”

“I’m not telling you anything!” Voline shouted. The armored man sighed.

“You’re making it harder for all of us, comrade. The revolution’s fate is at stake here.”

“What on earth are you on about? You’re not helping the revolution!”

“Maybe we should focus our attention elsewhere for now, comrade. She isn’t exactly budging on this.” The woman holding Voline suggested. 

“I think so. For now, just move her to one of the empty storage closets and have at least two guards holding the door.” The woman nodded, and with the help of one of the armed men they dragged Voline out of sight. The armored man was somewhat confused as to her nature; surely, they must have recognized that they were doing everything to save the revolution. But that was alright; their organization was making its way quite swimmingly. Like children engaged in the comradeship of play, they were obtaining pleasure and moving closer towards his goal. All was well.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Kino searched all around the area with their binoculars, the question of Voline’s safety was becoming more difficult to answer. They could clearly see armed men and women with either armor plates or balaclavas firing on just about anyone who tried to escape, and the weaponry they were packing was no joke. The remaining militia members stationed at the Rocketry Program were taking cover in the armory and checkpoints surrounding the main building, occasionally taking shots and missing by a mile. From their location in the forest along the road, Kino and Hermes couldn’t be seen in case they had long-range rifles or scopes of some kind; the thick canopy of leaves provided shade and the trees themselves were quite large.

“What a mess.” Hermes grumbled. “And just as we were at the country’s gates, too. You think Voline’s alive?” 

“The way they’ve been acting isn’t giving me any confidence. These guards are opening fire at the slightest flinch.” Kino said. “But we have to try, at the least.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“Still working on that part.”

“See, I like it when you plan this stuff out. You should do it more often.” As Hermes made fun of his rider, the rumbling of engines could be heard behind them. Kino turned around to see two large trucks moving along the road, followed by a green tank with an abbreviation on the side identifying it as a “M4A3E8 Public Universal Friend”, known to other countries as the Sherman Easy Eight. Riding shotgun in the first truck was Winstanley, who was holding out a wooden cross in his hands while he prayed. The trucks stopped on the dirt road to the side of Kino and the tank parked carefully between two trees in the woods. Soldiers from the True Levellers’ Militia dismounted and carefully looked on at the carnage that was unraveling, while the captain walked towards Kino.

“Tell me, Kay-Noe, what hellish cruelty has befallen our comrades?” He asked. They put aside their binoculars and rose from their spot.

“It looks like whoever has attacked the building has repelled the militia stationed there. I counted at least twenty-five combatants, although I suspect there’s more that are either hiding or just on the other side of the building. All of them seemed heavily armed as well. I’ve seen sniper rifles, assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and everything in between. Most importantly, they’re taking hostages, but quite a few have died already.” Kino explained.

“Terrible. Anything on why they’ve engaged in this barbarism?”

“Nothing yet.” 

“We are grateful for your assistance, Kay-Noe. We shall take it from here.” Before the traveler could protest, Winstanley turned around and held one hand in the air. “Gather ‘round, soldiers of Providence!” He bellowed. The members of the militia stood around Winstanley and Kino with their persuaders unholstered. “First, let us pray for the souls of the fallen.” The group was silent for at least a minute or so, the peace occasionally interrupted by the sounds of persuader fire directed towards the armory by the assailants. Kino hoped that Voline had made it to safety, or was at the very least alive.

“Now, our common-wealth has faced many a foe before. Reactionaries who worshipped the false god who called himself king, profiteers and industrialists who stole the land of the toiler and polluted it, and even self-professed revolutionaries who sacrificed innocents to the altar they professed to be dedicated to the “withering away of the state”. Whatever camp these vagabonds fall into, they shall have their necks pierced by bayonets and their legacy wiped from memory. But for now, we must wait ‘till sundown. Then, we shall strike with a fury unrivaled by anything the enemies of the common-wealth have yet seen!” Winstanley roared.

“Captain Winstanley, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” Kino said politely. The men and women of the unit turned their heads and shot suspicious looks at them; Winstanley slightly cocked his head to his left. “If anything, we need to move in and help reinforce the garrison present. Your tank could be used both as cover for advancing soldiers and as another way to fire upon the assailants. I fear that the longer we wait, the more hostages get killed.”

“Traveler Kay-Noe, this suggestion of yours is suicidal. Would you have us rush into open ground where the enemy assailants could open fire upon my men?”

“Not at all. We could get someone to sneak into the armory and provide the remaining soldiers reinforcements. After contacting the assailants and determining their demands and ringleader, they could lay down fire while the trucks go on ahead and assault the building. The tank and your best riflemen could be laying down fire from the rear as well, though the cannon will likely have to remain unused considering how close the hostages are.”

“Again, this sounds like madness, Kay-Noe! How exactly would we sneak into the armory without alerting them? The entire facility is lined with barbed wire!”

“You can cut through it, or even lay a thick blanket on top. I’ve done it a few times.” They pointed to another line of trees on the far end of the base. “Someone could move through there and get to the armory in no time.”

“Oh, spare us this foolish jabber!” Winstanley barked. “I have no interest in sacrificing my men because someone paid you a pretty penny to protect them, even if the poor bastards in the tower are my comrades.”

“That’s fine, I could go to the armory myself.” Kino responded.

“And with what persuaders would you enter the facility with, Kay-Noe?” He questioned. The traveler took off their brown trench coat and placed it upon Hermes. Now visible was the large revolver Cannon and a small pistol holstered upwards on their back, known as the Woodsman. 

“That’s not all.” They said. Unlocking a black box mounted on the motorrad’s rear end, revealing a folded rifle of some kind. They quickly constructed it, folding it out, fixing a suppressor on the end and attaching a large scope was placed before the iron sights of the weapon. It had both a bolt-action loader and a semi-automatic firing mode, meaning the rounds could either be loaded in manually or automatically. Now constructed, the more persuader-savvy members of the militia could tell that it was an M14 rifle, albeit one so heavily modified that it was hard to recognize. 

“What on earth is that contraption?” Winstanley asked.

“It’s called the Flute. It uses 7.62 rounds, which I’m currently out of, but access to the armory could give me and your men the firepower and ammo needed.”

“Bah! May the Lord forgive any fool who believes this claptrap!”

“I have a suggestion, sir!” A soldier shouted.

“Aye, what is it, laddie?”

“I think we should hold a vote to name the traveler secondary captain for the duration of the operation.” Winstanley looked enraged by the mere thought.

“Secondary captain?” Kino asked.

“As a part of the charter established by our revolution, officers of the militia are selected not by a general staff but by the vote of the soldiers below them.” The soldier explained. “Secondary captains are advisors and lieutenants who can be civilians and regular folk. It’s in order to provide different ideas and promote innovation amongst the individual units.”

“That’s very nice and all, but I-I’ve never led soldiers.” Kino responded nervously.

“You would have a paid bodyguard usurp my authority?! Do you seriously believe everything they have said?!” The guard shrugged.

“Yeah.”

“Very well, then! Hold your vote, and watch as our praetorians of the faith reject this offer.” Winstanley said condescendingly. The soldier turned around to face the rest of the unit.

“All in favor of naming the traveler secondary captain, raise your hands!” He shouted. Both Winstanley and Kino were in awe as most of the company raised their hands in favor. “The vote passes!”

“By God!” The captain shouted. He turned to Kino and pointed right at them. “Pray that your strategy does not see my comrades put into the soil, for Providence shall have your head otherwise!” As he stormed away, the soldiers stood at attention, all looking at Kino and awaiting new orders. 

[“Great job, Kino.” Hermes muttered as their rider nervously laughed.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCUg89-n0_g&ab_channel=TinoCaspar)

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The armored man was relieved to see that the remaining militiamen were ceasing fire for the moment. It was disappointing that they had the armory, but they would be cleared out in due time, he reckoned. What was more concerning to him was the fact that only three of the four cosmonauts had been located, despite his comrades having cleared every floor and every room. It wasn’t anything to get mad over, granted; the operation was still a smashing success, and three out of four was nothing to scoff at. But Nestor and Bakunin had already been thoroughly interrogated and they haven't given them anything. _Maybe try Voline one more time?_ He thought. _And we’re not assigning Bauer to that job too; the moron nearly killed Nestor with his shenanigans. A gentler touch is needed._

As the man walked by his comrades with his shotgun resting upon his shoulder, he could see the civilians quaking in terror from every step he took. The attempts at escape had finally cooled down, and they were now presiding over a large pool of incredibly valuable hostages. If they wanted money, he figured, they could be ransomed for a high price. But greed was but one part of the self, and those who made themselves slaves to a single desire were unworthy of respect. As he slowly walked down the hallway of the thirty-eight floor, he could see one of his comrades approaching him.

“We’re thinking we should send out our demands now.” He said. The armored man nodded.

“I think you’re right. Get on the radio and contact Lysander, he’ll take it from there.”

“Is he in the city, comrade?”

“He’s been there the entire time.” His comrade smiled and walked away. The armored man slowly approached the storage closet where Voline was being held; standing out front were two guards flanking each door. They look exhausted; one of them had a black eye and the other had a bloody bandage around his left arm. “You two look like you’ve been through hell.”

“Everything for the revolution, comrade.” The one with the bandage muttered, his voice unbelievably tired.

“How is our friend Voline?” He asked.

“She’s fine now, but getting her under control was not ideal.” The one with the black eye explained. “She punched me in the eye and bit Benjamin here on the arm.”

“She bit you?!” The armored man exclaimed. “Good heavens.”

“It should be alright now. We’ve zip-tied her hands and put tape over her mouth. Considering the armor you have, if you wanna interrogate her, go right ahead.”

“Excellent. Take my weapons, if you could; don’t want to frighten them.” He handed over his shotgun and then his revolver as one of the men unlocked the door. The armored man opened the door and walked in while the other guard closed and locked it behind him. Standing before him was Voline, her brown suit looking quite dirty. Like the guards said, her hands were zip-tied in front of her and duct tape covered her mouth. Despite this, it looked like her resolve hadn’t been broken yet, and as the armored man ripped the tape off, it revealed a determined and scornful look on her face.

“Guards said you put up quite the fight. Not too shabby.” He said, genuinely impressed. Her expression remained unchanged, and she stayed in the corner of the room. “It takes real guts to fight even when you know you’re going to lose.”

“We’re not going to lose.” She responded. The armored man shrugged.

“Whatever gets you through the day, you know? Live your best life, and all that.” He said, snickering a little. 

“You’re laughing at me, while you prance around with a bucket on your head and an entire truck’s worth of metal covering your vital organs.” Voline shot back.

“Well, comrade, I-”

“And stop calling me comrade! I want nothing to do with you or your cronies!” She yelled. The armored man sighed a little.

“I suppose you have a point. Not an ideal introduction on our part, I’ll concede that. Let’s start over, then.” He said politely. “My name is Johann. I am a concerned citizen of our commune. How ‘bout you?” Voline did not respond, instead choosing to stare back at him. “Tough crowd. Alright, I’ll start with an icebreaker. Have you read anything interesting lately? You know, books, novels, magazines?”

“I don’t really have time to read. I’ve had to prepare for flying to the moon; you know, the thing you interrupted with this attack of yours.”

“Well, I’ll get to that in just a moment. Tell me, have you by chance ever read a book called _The Ego and Its Own_?” He asked. Voline shrugged. “Well, it’s quite good and I couldn’t recommend it enough. See, it’s author, Max Stirner, examines the cycles of life as a child, teenager and adult. When we are children, we are constrained by the material and natural world, namely our bodies and our parents. Growing up, these shackles are thrown off, but new ones are created, namely the spiritual ones; think of how obsessed with the opinion of others we used to be as young adults. Those who tried to say that they didn’t care, more often than not, were the most obsessed with it. It’s only when we mature into adults that, at long last, it’s all thrown off.” The cosmonaut slightly nodded.

“Where is any of this going?” She asked.

“Well, Stirner observed that a similar pattern could be observed in human civilization. The old world was obsessed with the worship of the gods and kings, and built a society that was, in essence, a shrine to these non-entities. They are ghosts, really; non-existent figments of the mind, or “spooks” as Stirner would say. They only have power so long as people believe they are real. That would be done away with, but new spooks would replace it. Monotheistic religions, industry, parliament; these were passions dictated by opinion, much like a teenager who feels embarrassed in front of their peers. At first, our revolution looked like it would finally throw it all away, but alas, the old order still clings for life. Priests walk around commanding militias and preaching the word of god, legalistic traditions have been ingrained within the councils, and above all, the individual is still treated as expendable.” Johann paced around the small room as he spoke, gesticulating quite a bit.

“So, what’s the point of all this then?” She asked.

“If the commune cannot act to save its life, then we must. The only way the Central Committee was ever going to take us seriously is if the space program was under threat, and thus, here we are. Only then will they ever begin to take seriously the autonomy of the individual. Otherwise, the revolution’s principles will be made…” he struggled for a moment to think of a word, before saying “sacred. Defiled by the act of worship.”

“You think the people will listen?”

“I have to try, at the least. Democracy may be the dictatorship of a thousand despots, but we have sympathizers within the council. They may not outnumber the secular worshipers of the old morality, but their influence is not small. And force is always an option, as you’ve seen today.”

“I suppose shooting unarmed people does make sense when you think any trace of empathy is reactionary.” She muttered.

“Again, I’m afraid the wires are crossed. I am not at all opposed to the virtues of empathy, love and self-sacrifice. But we mustn't speak of them as universal doctrines, for-” The door was unlocked and one of the guards poked his head in.

“True Levellers have been spotted in the forest.” He reported. “They’ve got trucks and a tank.”

“Have they opened fire yet?”

“Nope.”

“Hold off on any attacks for now, then. We don’t want to provoke the Committee any more than we have to.” Johann ordered. He turned his head back around to face Voline. “I’m afraid my time is up for now. It’s been good speaking to you.”

“Rot in hell.” She responded as Johann placed the tape back over her mouth. As he turned around and began to walk away, he stopped in his tracks and reached into his coat.

“I always keep a copy on me, just in case.” He pulled out a hardcover edition of _The Ego and Its Own_ and placed it on the ground. “I think you’ll benefit from giving it a once-over.” The door was closed and locked, and Voline was left alone. She glared at the book before sitting down and looking up at the ceiling. Some of the individual panels seemed pretty loose.

 _Absolute dullards_ , she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A gun, in this case a revolver.  
> **A two-wheeled vehicle. Only notable trait being that it cannot fly.  
> ***The accent here is known as Original Early Modern English Pronunciation, or OP. It's a particularly hard to understand accent that was common in 17th-century England and its colonies.


	2. Chapter 2

“This is a stupid idea.”

“Yup.”

“You’ve never led a militia or army, and you certainly don’t have any knowledge on military strategy.”

“For sure.”

“That lunatic thinks you can conduct this operation without getting any of his men killed, which is absurd.”

“Absolutely.”

“Really, we don’t even have any sort of guarantee that hoping the fence and contacting the militia will actually work, do we?”

“Not really.”

“We should turn around now.”

“Absolutely not.” Kino responded.

“And why not?!” The motorrad whined.

“Because we have a job to do, regardless of the risks.” They insisted. The traveler was now slowly approaching the fence along the side of the compound under the cover of the trees. Hermes would provide for transportation if they were detected, but for right now his engine had to remain off. 

“So what’s this about, then? Any other time, you’d have hiked it out of here in no time at all.”

“We have a duty to our client. If we don’t fulfill it, no money is coming our way.”

“You and I both know that you’ve never cared about money except as a basic necessity. I suspect this is something else.”

“Would the great detective Hermes put some light on his theory, then?” They teased.

“You’ve been acting funny ever since we’ve arrived in this country. Especially around your “client”.” Kino put out the kickstand and propped the motorrad up next to a tree. “I mean, all she did was place her hands on you and you were sweating bullets. And yesterday you were blushing like a schoolgirl when sh- ow!” He was interrupted by Kino kicking his side. “That confirms it, if anything!” 

“I’m just tired of your theories, is all.” They responded as they began to take out the Flute and assemble it once more.

“Jeez, all this over one person.”

“It’s more than that.” As they placed the suppressor on the barrel of the rifle, Kino paused for a moment and looked at Hermes. “I want to do right by them. If that means getting involved in this fight, then so be it.” After placing the scope upon the weapon, they slung it over their shoulders and unpacked a large wool blanket from one of the cases mounted on Hermes. They also took off their brown coat and took from one of its pockets a piece of paper, with the words “The Captain Giveth the Besieged Men of the Common-Wealth the Person of Kay-Noe, Together with, Real Godly Scripture, a Rejection of Stately Management, and a M4A3E8 Tank from the Nevve-Armory”*.

“Best of luck, Kino.”

“Thanks.” The traveler walked on forward and crouched down as they emerged out from under the trees. They chucked the blanket over the wire topping the fence; it covered it perfectly. Kino jumped and climbed up the fence, limbering over the part with the blanket carefully. They landed on the other side, their boots slamming down and one hand placed on the ground to push them up. Right before them was the armory, a small building with the black and red banners they were accustomed to seeing. They carefully walked over to the door and knocked twice.

“Who’s that?” A voice asked.

“I’m with the True Levellers’ Militia. We’re here to help.” Kino said in turn.

“Thank god! I thought we’d never get reinforcements.” He said gleefully.

“Hey, how do we know that you aren’t one of them?!” Another voice asked.

“Winstanley told me to give you this.” They slid the white piece of paper under the door. 

“Yup, that’s Winstanley for sure.” The voice said after a little bit. A click could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by it swinging it open and a bearded man waving them into. 

The state inside the armory was dire. A few corpses were scattered around, and the ground was littered with bullet casings. Only a couple of the militia were in fighting shape, but their persuaders were closer to the rusty Mauser bolt-actions they had seen earlier. Kino took out a radio from one of their pockets and turned it on.

“This is Kino. Arrived at the armory. Over.”

“Aye, it seems your plan was not all mad ramblings. That’s good.”

“Uh, Captain Winstanley, you have to say “over” when you’re done speaking on this during operations. Over.”

“Ah. Over.”

“What does that mean for us, then?” One of the soldiers asked.

“We’re preparing an operation to relieve you and assault the main building. Does anyone have 7.62’s?”

“We have a limited supply in the back. Take the rest.”

“Thanks.” Kino walked into the back room and loaded up half of a magazine for the Flute. They walked out of the room and set up the bipod of the rifle on a table where a belt-fed persuader had been propped up.

“So what’s the next step?”

“I’m going to call the radio of one of the assailants.” They said nonchalantly.

“Hey, hold up. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I do. If at all possible, I’d like to see or hear their ringleader; if we could take them out, that could spook the rest.”

“Let’s put it to a vote, then.” He responded.

“A vote?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Why?”

“What? What do you mean, why?” Before the soldier spoke on it further, he stopped to think before saying, “You’re not from around here, are you?” Kino nodded.

“I was elected as secondary captain. I’m just a traveler.” 

“That explains that. In our commune, most decisions are decided by democratic vote, to ensure that authoritarianism is rejected and that the revolution’s spirit survives.”

“I see. With all due respect, however, I believe we need to act decisively.”

“That is the talk the false-revolutionaries used to deceive their people. We can’t allow that to spread, no matter how bad it gets.”

“I understand that your society values its freedom, and I have no intention to violate that. But warfare is the most authoritarian thing there is; no one consents to being shot at. Without the decisive edge here, I fear more of your comrades in the building will get killed. I apologize for all this, but I don’t know a better way.” The soldiers in the armory listened intently, and remained silent when they stopped speaking. The one talking to Kino shrugged.

“Fine, just this once.” He said.

“Thank you.” They responded. Kino took a seat in a chair in front of the flute and placed the butt of the rifle to their shoulder. They tuned the radio for a bit looking for a sign of what signal they were using, until they stopped on what sounded like someone shouting orders.

“Pyotr has been located! Move him to the closet on the thirty-fifth floor! Over!” He shouted.

“Who’s currently on the radio?” Kino asked.

“Hello? Johann, your mic sounds a bit messed up. Everything good?”

“This isn’t Johann.”

“Who the fu- who is- what- I should kick your ass, who is this?” He shouted angrily.

“This is a representative of the commune. I’d like to speak to the head of your unit.”

“Oh? Well, we don’t have a head. As a voluntary union of egoists, we recognize no one above or below us, and do as we please as free agents.”

“Okay, well, is there someone I should be talking to about negotiations then?”

“You- hold on a- wait- hey, someone get this to Johann, on the double!” He shouted. Kino could hear the radio being passed off to someone. Through their scope, they could see an incredibly thin man jogging through the building, up the stairs and onto the fortieth floor, where they knocked on the door to one of the office rooms.

“The Committee wants to speak with you, comrade!” The man could be heard saying. Kino could see the door swing open and him enter.

“Who am I currently speaking to?” A posh voice asked.

“A delegate from the Central Committee. We’d like to talk, if at all possible.”

“Excellent. Have they seen our demands?” He asked.

“They have, but they’re currently voting on what to do. I apologize for the wait.” Kino lied; they were unsure as to how they even would have gotten their demands to the commune, since the road was blocked.

“No need to apologize, that’s quite alright. So you're the unlucky civilian shoved into the job of negotiator, then?”

“I’ve been selected to ensure that this is resolved as peacefully as possible.”

“Very good. Tell me, negotiator, have you looked over the demands yourself?”

“Can’t say I have. Could you tell them to me?”

“Most certainly. Are you familiar with Max Stirner, by chance?”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kino could feel their eyes starting to close as the man went on and one about his theories. It was still bright out, but the traveler just wanted a bed if they were gonna listen to this. As he spoke about how conventional morality needed to be replaced with a view of ethics centered around the individual, Kino slapped themselves to stay awake and leaned into the rifle. As boring as his rambling was, the only way Voline and everyone else stuck in the building would live is if the operation succeeded. 

“...And thus, born from the ashes of the old order, a new one can arise, fully matured and at last perfected. What the revolution needs is not flashy adventures to conquer the stars, but proof that we have conquered our passions! We will show that we are not slaves to any one desire, and certainly not one leader, but masters of our own bodies! And that is why we have partaken on this mission, for as Stirner would say, “whoever will be free must make himself free. Freedom is no fairy gift to fall into a man's lap”.” He rambled passionately.

“I see.”

“So, negotiator, any thoughts?”

“Not really my place to say. My job is to ensure that everything goes smoothly.”

“Right, well I heard that part earlier. I’m asking you what you think of all this.”

“I can’t say either way.”

“See, that right there is what we’re fighting against.” He said, the pitch of his voice indicating a little bit of frustration. “This surrender to established orders in the name of a supposed “higher value”. It’s a spook, you see; a monster under the bed, an apparition in the hallway. The only way for mankind to be free is if they rid themselves of these notions of “just cause”, of universal “greater good”. The only good that really exists is oneself; anything that interferes with self-rule is a threat.”

“So you want the commune to disband?”

“To reorganize, not disband. See, it is amazing how often Stirner’s cause is misunderstood! How his words are twisted beyond comprehension!” Kino watched as the door to that office flung open, and out walked a man with what looked like a bucket on his head and a shotgun in his right hand. In his left hand was a radio. Kino steadied their breathing and aimed the rifle slightly to the right of his helmet; if the wind speed didn’t pick up and everything else accounted for was accurate, it would hit center mass. “We aren’t opponents of the revolution, but it’s best allies. I’ve tried to demonstrate to some of our prisoners here that as well. I spoke to comrade Voline earlier, one of the cosmonauts, and-”

The shot sailed forth and left a vapor trail in its wake. It went up and slammed into Johann’s chest, making a loud _clunk_ and pushing him to the ground. The militia members began to open fire once more, and in the dirt road within the forest the trucks began to drive ahead. Zooming in, Kino could tell that Johann hadn’t been killed by the shot; it failed to penetrate the armor he was wearing. He quickly got to his feet and ran back into the office room. The traveler pulled the bolt back to load in another round. Pushing it back forward, they fired into the door, creating a decently sized hole in it. From the looks of it, whoever was inside the office had moved away from the door. As a soldier dashed by trying to find cover, another shot from the Flute was sent forth, crashing into his head and popping it like a balloon.

As a burst of machine persuader fire flung in the direction of the armory’s windows, Kino pushed the table over and ducked behind it. They popped up once more and looked around for the assailant, before having to duck again as more rounds were flung down range by the egoist forces. Peeking around the side of the table, they could see that the trucks had made it to the base of the tower and the True Levellers were beginning to storm it. Winstanley could be seen preaching from atop the tank, shouting about the glory of God and the covenant the enemy had made with the Prince of Darkness. As Kino levelled their rifle and looked around the floors of the building for any possible signs of Voline, they could see some of the militiamen helping two of the cosmonauts out of the building, but nothing else. They popped over once more and let out two shots into a woman holding a large hand persuader nearby; the first hit her leg, and the second landed square in the chest, and the wall behind her was painted red as a result.

As the True Levellers held on to the twenty-third floor, the fighting suddenly went quiet. Kino couldn’t see anyone in their reticules, and the roar of machine persuader fire from the tank was silent. They guessed that Johann was regrouping his forces and focusing on defense. Then, in the corner of their eye, a blur could be seen moving past the hole in the door to the office Johann had entered, followed by the sound of glass breaking. They quickly moved the rifle, lined up the rifle and pulled the trigger, only to hear one of the worst noises anyone in open combat can hear come from their weapon; an unsatisfying click. Checking the magazine, Kino could see that they were out of ammo. They slung the rifle over their shoulder and ran out of the armory, climbing over the barbed wire with the wool blanket from before and returning to Hermes.

“How’d it go?”

“Not too bad. We still have work to do, but the enemy is on their hind legs.” They turned on the engines and drove towards the front of the facility, swerving around trees and going at full speed after emerging from the forest.

“That’s when they’re the most dangerous, Kino.”

“I know.” They parked Hermes next to the trucks and dismounted, quickly running ahead.

“Are you still there, negotiator?” Johann asked over the radio. Kino grabbed the radio with their left hand and their revolver in their right; their hat blew off their head for a second, before Kino quickly grabbed it and placed it right back down.

“I am, what is it?”

“Are you the brown-haired fellow running around down below?” The traveler took cover behind a pillar and cautiously looked around, but they couldn’t see anyone looking down. “Made you look, didn’t I?”

“What’s this about, Johann?” They asked, moving out from behind the pillar and towards the side doors of the tower.

“Just thought I’d check in. Was that your rifle? Made quite the dent in my chestplate; not bad. Pretty heavy firepower for “keeping the peace”, yes?”

“I suppose. Whatever gets the job done.”

“And a revolver as well, what a cowboy! Tell me, did the commune hire John Wayne or Roy Rogers to negotiate on their behalf?” 

“I found myself liking Chuck Connors a lot more.” They responded, moving through the broken glass doors and towards the stairs. 

“Oh yeah, that thing.” Johann mocked, the traveler’s joke going through one ear and out the other. “Well, however you style yourself, do inform your superiors at the Central Committee that we still hold two of the cosmonauts hostage and they shall be executed if this assault continues.” Kino shoved the radio into their pocket and continued to move up the stairs as quickly as possible.

By the time they reached the twenty-third floor, Kino was exhausted, and they took a moment to lean up on the wall and breathe. All around the floor, similarly tired True Levellers stood around with their rifles out and walked over broken glass and shell casings. Winstanley was speaking to one of his soldiers before noticing Kino; he walked forward with his hands folded upon his chest.

“I shall admit, Kay-Noe, the plan has shown its merits. I suppose the best asset you travelers have is good planning.” He complimented.

“Not at all. A traveler…” They stopped a moment to catch their breath. “A traveler’s best asset is luck.”

“Luck? God does not play dice with the universe; everything has been set in stone before we were even thought of. As secondary captain, you ought to keep these thoughts to yourself.” He chastised. 

“Certainly. Their ringleader, Johann, is saying that they’ll kill the hostages if we don’t stop attacking.” Kino explained, reaching for a flask of water in their pocket and taking a swig.

“Have you identified their motives?”

“He explained that he believes in something called “egoism”. Know anything about it?” Winstanley had a grim expression upon his face.

“Aye, that is one of the many tongues of the father of lies. He dresses up his sinful ways by proclaiming our reflections on the suffering of the savior as flights of the imagination. But they have succumbed to the most fowl and beastly of passions, and now they shall pay for it.”

“So what’s the plan, then?”

“We march forward. I do not trust the safety of comrades Vowl-Line and Piyot-tor in the hands of such a rogue, and I suspect you don’t either.” Kino nodded. “Excellent. There is a ventilation shaft which the plans of this building reveal to lead to the highest floor. Taking into account your smaller stature-”

“Alright, don’t need to rub it in.” Kino jested, smiling a little. Winstanley did not even smirk at the joke.

“I believe you will be able to fit into these shafts and move your way through. If you can, engage with the remaining combatants and prevent the death of the hostages. Our forces will clear out each floor and make our way to the top.”

“Should I scout ahead for you?”

“No time, we’re on the clock. And if at all possible, bring back this Joh-hann character alive.”

“Alive?”

“Aye. He is to be publicly flogged and dragged through the streets in chains, before being hung, drawn and quartered.”

“Oh. I’ll see what I can do.”

“I need a guarantee, Kay-Noe.”

“I can’t give you one, Winstanley. Lying is a grave sin.” They responded, walking away from the captain.

“You’ll find the entrance in the second back room on the right.” He instructed. The traveler holstered their revolver and turned into the room. Before them was an open ventilation shaft with a ladder placed upon it. Kino climbed up and crawled into the shaft itself, moving as fast as they could without making too much noise. Taking one of the paths that led upwards to the final floors of the tower, they could start to hear what sounded like Johann scolding one of his soldiers echoing through the shaft.

“Not only have we had to devote extra manpower to ensure she doesn’t escape, but we also have our bombs disarmed thanks to your incompetence. It’s bad enough that all our explosive experts are dead and dying.”

“But comrade, you said that the union of egoists only works when we all do as we please.” He protested as Kino reached what was marked on a sign as the thirtieth floor.

“Maybe so, but unity in our operations is needed, yes? So get to your post and ensure that they don’t escape. Understood?”

“Yes, comrade.”

“Good. I don’t even understand how she disarmed them. I took one look at them and all I see are gears and wires.”

“Well, she is a scientist. They can probably make sense of it better than we can.” Kino reached a shaft that dropped vertically down as they spoke; using their hands and feet, they began to shimmy upwards carefully.

“Wait, that’s it!” Johann exclaimed. “Come with me, comrade!” The traveler could hear footsteps and the crunching of glass right above them. They eventually reached the end of that part of the ventilation shaft and once again entered a part where they could crawl. Up ahead, they could see a room with a model of a rocket standing in the middle. A few egoists stood around with their persuaders drawn, and Kino could see that the hostages were all placed together in the middle of the room. One of them was Voline, who was following Johann with her eyes as he walked forward.

“We are requesting you to re-arm our explosive devices. If you refuse to comply, we will kill one hostage each minute.” Johann stated plainly. Kino shuffled up to the covering of the shaft and watched as one of the guards slowly paced by. Right up front was a column; they figured they could get to it without being spotted and then open fire from there.

“Well that’s a false choice, then. Either you kill them now or we all get blown up later.”

“The explosives are to be used in open combat and deployed against combatants, not to destroy the building.” He explained.

“If that’s true, you’re doing a pretty bad job at it. The places they were located would destroy the foundations holding the floor up top, so that could easily cause some damage, if not bring half the building down. Did you plan this out?”

“What kind of question is that?” Johann asked, while the guard passing by the vent moved out of eyesight. Kino opened the covering, jumped down and ducked behind the column just as one of the soldiers overlooking the hostages turned to face that direction. They carefully un-holstered their revolver and waited for the moment to strike.

“Don’t you have more demolition experts?” Voline asked her captors.

“As a voluntary union of individuals, it is not my place to enforce jobs and tasks to those within. If I did, it would cease to be voluntary.” He explained. “Now, considering a minute has passed, it’s time to act. Pyotr, you’re up.” One of the guards grabbed a young, grey haired cosmonaut and dragged him before Johann; he had no trace of emotion on his face.

“Hold on, let’s talk.” Voline protested.

“We just did.”

“No, I mean-” As she rose to her feet, one of the egoists raised their rifle and pointed it at her head, nervously twitching and placing his finger on the trigger. Kino turned the corner and fired upon the man; the shot landed in his hand and caused him to drop the rifle and take cover. 

“Contact! Behind the pillar, weapons free!” Johann shouted. A volley of fire from the remaining egoists was sent in Kino’s direction, while the armored man grabbed Voline and began to walk towards the flight of stairs on the other side. Kino could hear from down below the True Levellers stomping up the stairs, clearing each floor and trying to make their way to the top without running into an ambush. They popped around and let out two shots into a group of assailants; the first hit one of them in the head, but the other missed by an inch, giving the man a haircut. Kino dashed and rolled behind a table which had been turned over. They saw the remaining hostages begin to take cover as well, Pyotr in particular dodging fire by an inch. 

“Thank you for the assistance, whoever you are.” Pyotr said, his voice calm and deep.

“No problem. If at all possible, could you tell me where these egoists are moving?” Kino asked.

“Fire on that rat bastard!” One of the combatants shouted, trying to get either Kino or Pyotr.

“The one with the bucket on his head took one of my comrades with him up the stairs to the fortieth floor. The rest tried to take me and the remaining hostages, but that’s obviously not happening. I saw two or three move into the office rooms on your right.”

“Thank you.” They said as they stood up and opened fire upon an egoist with a belt-fed persuader. The shot smashed into his chest and sent him to the floor. Kino quickly turned and let out another round into a woman trying to scale one of the desks to open fire upon a hostage, slamming into her upper chest and killing her instantly. Kino vaulted over the table they were ducking behind and moved to the wall next to the offices. They popped around the corner and fired at the head of an egoist with a bolt-action rifle, the shot crashing into them and his rifle firing on impacting the floor. Another egoist popped out the door to Kino’s left, but before they could let out a shot, they quickly grabbed the Woodsman on their back and fired twice into them. They ejected the cylinder, placed it in their pocket and loaded in a new one; it made a satisfying snap as it was inserted. Kino returned to the hostages and quickly cut their restraints with one of their knives.

“What are you going to do now?” Pyotr asked.

“I need to pursue the remnants of their forces.”

“What about us?”

“The True Levellers are going to be here in no time. They’re clearing floors as we speak.”

“Then we’re gonna be left in the cold. We don’t know if they still have soldiers just lying in wait.” One of the scientists argued. “I suggest we hold a vote.”

“I don’t think we have the time to.” Kino responded.

“Without the people and their will, our commune would be nothing. That’s what separates us from the reactionaries and false revolutionaries. Democracy is essential to our society.”

“I can assure you that the remaining enemies have been either dealt with or pushed to the floors above.”

“But you can’t guarantee that! The militia said the same thing time and again before this attack, and now here we are.” The scientist turned around to face their comrades. “Our revolution has been built on the idea that no man can rule another. The only way to ensure that is through popular will and democracy in all spheres of life-”

“Comrade, I think you should turn around.” Pyotr advised. The scientist turned to see that Kino had already left the area. The stomping of feet could be heard and a few True Levellers ascended the stairs, calling out for the hostages to get moving.

Kino quickly moved through the stairway with their revolver out as Johann started to talk into the radio once more.

“Negotiator, are you there?” He asked. Kino grabbed it and put it up to their head.

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’m starting to think that you aren’t from around here. Or that you’re a negotiator, for that matter.”

“Took you this long?” Johann chuckled at the joke.

“I had my suspicions, but getting shot with a high-caliber rifle more or less confirmed it. But I don’t have anything else to call you, so it is what it is. Now, I still have a hostage with me, and I am not interested in keeping them alive if you push further.”

“You said that last time.”

“Yes, well the situation has changed and no- hold on- did she- oh dear.” He abruptly hung up. Kino placed the radio in their pocket and continued to move up the stairs. An egoist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle was standing at the top of the stairs and started to fire down at Kino. They moved out of his line of sight and lined up a shot between the steps. The revolver boomed as it fired, the sound echoing off the walls, and the bullet slammed into his feet. He shouted and fell to the ground as another shot from the revolver was sent into him. Kino ascended the stairs while aiming down the sights of the revolver, both hands gripping it tightly. Through the opening at the end of the stairs, they could see Johann and two egoists looking around, flipping tables and searching offices. As Kino tried to line up a shot on Johann’s leg, two shots suddenly rang out from one of the offices, followed by a thud and a pained scream. The one assailant left with Johann started to freak out as he looked through the doorway.

“I need medical assistance!” A voice shouted from the office located in the middle of the floor. “She took a stapler to my leg! A stapler!” Kino adjusted their aim and fired upon the panicked shoulder, taking him down in an instant. Johann fired off a shot with his shotgun towards the stairway in order to lay down covering fire, rushing into the office where his comrade had been downed. The traveler moved forward with their revolver at the ready, moving from the stairway to the floor itself and moving towards the office room. Out came the armored man holding Voline with his left arm and placing a revolver to the temple of her head with his right hand. Voline smiled a little seeing Kino.

“Tell me something, negotiator, who are you really?” He asked. Kino kept their aim focused on the helmet the man was wearing.

“My name is Kino. I’m a traveler.”

“Ah, so they hired from without. What’s your reason then for being here?” The traveler didn’t respond to his question. “Hmmm… pretty quiet all of a sudden. Well, that’s oka- oh, wait a minute. Bodyguard?” Again, Kino remained silent. Johann giggled a little. 

“Johann, I’m asking you to lay down your persuader and surrender. You’ve got nowhere to run.” They stated plainly.

“Oh, and do what? Rot in the “People’s Education Facilities” and let them turn me into a vacuous husk with their drills and propaganda? Have my insides cooked by those lunatics under Winstanley? Run away and die an old, miserable coward? No thanks.”

“I can guarantee your survival if you turn yourself in.”

“Really? One traveler will overrule the Central Committee’s vote? I know how the commune works, Kino, don’t-” His little speech was quickly cut short by Voline slamming her elbow into his chest, which he responded to by tightening his grasp and pulling back the hammer on the persuader. Kino let out a shot at his helmet, which ricocheted off and hit the wall; it knocked Johann to the side, his ears ringing from the knock to the head. He grasped at his head with his arm, letting go of his hostage.

“Get down the stairs and meet up with Winstanley’s unit! I’ll be right with you!” Kino shouted to Voline; she nodded and sprinted past them. Johann fired a shot towards them, cutting their coat near the elbow but not making contact with their flesh. The traveler ran behind one of the walls while Johann retreated into the office room in the middle of the floor. From the room, Kino could hear the distinctive click that a pump-action shotgun makes when a shell is loaded, followed by a powerful blast which slammed through glass and into the wall to the left of Kino. The click could be heard again, and Kino flung around and fired a shot before ducking again. 

“You know, it makes sense now. The commune could not defeat me with their militias, so they had to rely on something else. You’re their secret weapon.”

“I’m not serving the commune.”

“But you’re doing their bidding.”

“Maybe, but they didn’t order any of this.”

“Oh? So then who’s your client, bodyguard?” Kino rushed to the side and tried to shoot his arm, but it bounced off the plate.

“A woman named Voline.”

“Ah, and there it is!” He exclaimed. “Isn’t that risky telling me? What if I killed you and made my way down?”

“That isn’t going to happen.” As Johann popped around the corner, his shotgun was thrown to the side by a shot from Kino’s persuader. As he tried to go grab it, a swift kick from the traveler landed and knocked him to the ground; as he was stunned, they ripped the helmet off of him and chucked it to the side. Johann reached for his revolver, but freezed when the barrel of a persuader was pointed right in his face. Kino could now see the face of the man who had terrorized the rocketry program; he had beady little eyes and a pointy nose, a large forehead and a defined jaw. His hair was black and a bit frizzy at the front.

“Wow.” He said, a light smile coming across his face. “You’re pretty good.”

“Please surrender.” They insisted. Johann shook his head.

“No can do. You and I both know how this ends. See, my revolution has succeeded, and it did for my comrades as well. We achieved in those brilliant moments control over ourselves. It’s not efficient for a military operation, maybe, but did it need to? The commune will still have to change as a result, be it from me or even you, I suppose. No society can resist change, not even the true revolutionaries.” He reached for his revolver, but the traveler shot first, and the bullet flew right into his forehead. The shot rang loud and echoed down the stairs. Kino stood there for a few moments, looking at the man they had killed; blood trickled down from the hole in his head onto the floor. They holstered their revolver, took the hat off their head, and prayed for a few quiet moments.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to the testimonies of his comrades, the dead man lying before Winstanley was a pious and honest person. He kept to himself, but never once did he shirk from his duties to God and the revolution. He kept his powder dry, his copy of the scripture on his person at all times, and the thought of redemption in his mind. And his reward for that service was to bleed out after a volley of machine persuader fire struck his arm. While Winstanley praised the traveler for the efficiency and safety of the operation, this soldier of Providence breathed his last. The thought made his blood boil; for this negligence, he would render his own flesh with a whip at least ten times that night. It was the only way that he would learn.

As Winstanley gave one last prayer for his comrade to travel safely as his corpse was lifted and brought out, he could see in the corner of his eye the traveler walking down the stairs. They kept their head down and walked past the soldiers and civilians resting on the first floor. Winstanley rose from his seat and walked towards the traveler, trying their best to stay stoic.

“Where is Joh-hann?” He asked.

“Dead.”

“I gave explicit orders, Kay-Noe. He was to be brought back alive.”

“He didn’t give me much of a choice.” They tried to walk past him, but we moved in the way.

“Not only do these “egoists” now have a martyr, but thanks to your plan, one of my men is dead.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, spare me your false pity!” He shouted. The soldiers and civilians looked up at the two; the captain’s face was now totally red. “Do you know what I have heard, traveler? That you directly bypassed a vote from the militia and then ran from a vote on whether to protect the scientists on the top floors. You have directly violated the dictums of this common-wealth and operated without the consent and authority of the Central Committee, and all for what?” Kino looked to their right to see Voline and the other cosmonauts looking on silently; she in particular gave that smile she did earlier. Kino turned their head back to face the captain.

“As secondary captain, and as a bodyguard, I had to ensure that the civilians would be safe and that the mission would go as smoothly as possible. Yes, that did mean bypassing the votes your society often does, but I meant no disrespect to the customs of your commune. I simply wanted to act as decisively as possible in order to ensure that casualties remained low.” They explained calmly. Winstanley crossed his arms across his chest.

“I now understand. We did not merely elect a secondary captain; we made a pact with the devil.” He said quietly, before raising his voice much, much louder for the next part. “That traveler, Kay-Noe, that man of blood, comrades, is in thought and action with the false revolutionaries! They have sent us in like cannon fodder, and all for what?! Here stands before us an apparatchik without a party, a Chekist without a Cheka, a Cromwell without a parliament! They are a servant of the state without a state to serve! And because of their sinful ways, a comrade of mine lies dead!”

“I understand that you’re upset, but I can assure you that I have no interest in overthrowing your society. I was hired as a bodyguard, and I acted to keep them safe.”

“Ah, so it was narrow self-interest that motivated you? Greed and envy made you decide to act in such a manner? At least the false revolutionaries pretended to be fighting for the common good, and not-”

“You misunderstand me, Winstanley. I’m saying tha-” Winstanley raised his right fist up in the air and was about to punch Kino as they drew their revolver and placed the barrel at the bottom of his mouth. The soldiers around them quickly aimed down their weapons and held their fire, waiting for an order. The captain was fuming, but he turned his clenched fist into a wave of the hand, as a way to signal not to open fire.

“We are better than that, comrades. Unlike our friend, the man of blood, murder is not our first instinct.” The soldiers slowly lowered their weapons. “Pray that the mercy of God is infinite in its capacity, for otherwise you have no future.” Winstanley slowly backed away from the traveler’s revolver, then walked past them towards a back room on the floor. Kino slowly holstered the weapon and looked around; the soldiers were cautiously looking back at them, their rifles still un holstered. 

“Kino…” Voline said quietly, trying to get their attention. The traveler walked on out of the building without looking back and quickly mounted Hermes.

“How did it go?” He asked.

“As good as it could. We’re leaving.”

“Leaving, as in…”

“All our stuff is packed, correct?”

“You hadn’t unpacked anything.”

“Good. We’re going.” They started the engines, put on their goggles and drove onto the dirt road, leaving the tower behind.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The fire continued to spark and crack open the wood within its grasp as the traveler finished explaining themselves.

“So that’s why you just got up and left.” Hermes said. 

“Yup. That’s the long and short of it.” Kino responded. 

“I knew something was up between you two.”

“It’s not like that, Hermes.” They insisted. “I was just reminded of Nimya, that’s all.”

“Yeah, sure.” He teased. “I figured that the captain was a bit of a character, but I’m surprised he tried to hit you.”

“I get it, on some level. He was upset, and he read my explanation of my actions as an excuse. That, and the soldiers clearly take the threat of violent overthrow seriously.”

“Maybe, but they should know better than anyone that no one has ever considered war a school of inanity.”

“Don’t you mean “humanity”, not inanity?” Kino corrected.

“Yes, that’s it!”

“...Well, I’m not really sure what to think. Maybe it’ll make more sense when I wake up.” They got up from their sleeping bag and put out the fire with some water from their flask.

“G’night, Kino.”

“Goodnight, Hermes.” The traveler could be heard slipping back into the sleeping bag, and silence enveloped the area once more.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early in the morning, Kino rose from their sleep and packed up the sleeping bag. They ate a short breakfast of some pre-cooked rations next to where the fire had been, while the forest was covered by a layer of fog which made it slightly harder to look around. When they were finished, Kino walked over to a lake a short distance from where they had set up camp and washed some of their clothes. They set up a clothesline with their laundry hanging from it, a draught of wind blowing into them for a brief moment before subsiding.

Out on the lake itself was a small wooden dock which went a little bit out into the lake itself. The traveler walked upon it and stood at the very edge; the fog meant that they couldn’t see very far from where they were. It was nice and peaceful, however, and they decided to use that place to do their morning drills. First the revolver, then the pistol, back and forth for as long as it needed to be. Kino could hear every click the weapons made echo across the waters, bouncing off whatever happened to be at the edge of the lake. For sometime, their mind was still and undisturbed.

But then they could hear the sound of footsteps crunching leaves upon the ground. They turned their head to see their client, Voline, walking towards them. They were in what looked like a newer version of the cosmonaut uniform, painted dark blue and bearing an armband with the black-and-red flag used by the commune. Kino holstered their persuaders.

“You picked a good spot to practice.” She said. “I come here every now and again to clear my head.”

“How’d you find me?” Kino asked.

“I followed the tracks left in the road by your motorrad.”

“Huh.” She stepped up onto the dock and stood beside Kino. “I apologize for just leaving like that. It was very unprofessional of me.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much. It was a tense situation, and clearly everyone was on edge. Besides, you still did your job.” She grabbed out of one of her pockets a large stack of bills.

“No, keep it.”

“Seriously, you should take it.”

“Fine.” They took it from her hand and put it in their pockets. Voline leaned up upon one of the legs of the dock, which poked up to about their waist. “So what’s going to happen with the mission?”

“Delayed. No damages were done to the rocket, but the loss of skilled personnel is going to take a little bit. Would have been a lot worse though otherwise. I heard you led the assault.”

“I had to ensure your safety as a part of the contract. I wasn’t planning on leading anything, but they voted me into it.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.” Voline said. “I’ve actually been thinking some things over, and I’m thinking I might join the militia after the mission.”

“You… really?” They asked. She nodded.

“Yeah. You were amazing out there, Kino, and I want to do my part as well.” 

“Can I make a recommendation?”

“Certainly, what for?”

“Don’t.” Voline scratched her head at the traveler’s response.

“Uh, what- what do you mean?” She asked.

“Don’t join.”

“You- pardon?” She pressed further. Kino continued to look off into the foggy lake.

“It will be the worst mistake you’ll ever make.” 

“You don’t think I’m up to the task?” Voline asked, visibly peeved. Kino shook their head.

“It’s not that. It’s that it’s not a good life to lead.” They explained. “You’re putting your life in danger for something that may not even be worth it.”

“Of course it’s worth it, it’s the revolution. We’re fighting for freedom.”

“Heard that before…”

“You think you know better?”

“I’m just saying to think it over, is all.”

“How can you say that when you were involved in combat just yesterday? You risked your life, just like all the other soldiers.”

“That’s right, I did.” Kino responded. They turned to face Voline and placed their arms to their sides. 

“Voline, you know better than anyone what the sciences contribute to humanity, by giving all of us a better sense of how the world works. Historians create coherent narratives out of scattered piles of interpretations and make them work. Political scientists work to understand human governance and how best to run a society. Economists… uh- you know, they, um….” Kino’s mind went blank for a moment. “Artists create beautiful images that capture moments and feelings and immortalize them for future generations. Soldiers, and more broadly those who kill, do just that; they destroy life. Sure, I trained so much that I can say that I draw faster than anyone I’ve ever met. I’ve walked out of every violent encounter I’ve been in alive. But they didn’t. And if I failed or slipped up, I’d be dead. That’s not living; that’s not even close to anything that could be called a good life.” The traveler sat down on the edge of the dock and let their legs dangle down the side. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that.”

“I didn’t know you were feeling that way.” Voline said, trying to comfort them. She sat down next to Kino. “Well, you still did save the lives of me and the other people in the tower. I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“You’re way too polite!” Voline teased. “What a strange character, you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kino asked.

“Oh, you couldn’t tell?” As they quickly realized what she meant, Kino’s face went completely red and they looked off to the side.

“You shouldn’t joke about stuff like that…”

“I’m not joking.” The cosmonaut insisted. The traveler sighed.

“I’m afraid to say that you picked poorly. I don’t really stay in one place, and I’m going to be heading out pretty soon.” They responded. As the thought of a biplane soaring in the sky came to mind, they clenched their fists. “But I am grateful for your hospitality, and I won’t deny that I don’t feel the same way.” Voline grinned gently.

“Guess that puts us both in a dilemma, then.”

“Any ideas on how to solve that?”

“You know, I have one. It’s worth a shot, at the least.” She said. Voline leaned over towards Kino and proceeded to kiss them gently on the lips. At first taken aback, the traveler embraced her with their arms and held her tight. For a few moments, the two stayed like that, undisturbed and feeling within each other a pounding drum whose vibrations made them shake. 

Voline gently moved her head back and placed their hand on Kino’s head, running their fingers through their brown hair.

“Right, but what does that have to do with solving it?” Kino asked.

“I dunno. I thought it would be nice.”

“Well, it wasn’t too bad.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After packing up their things and putting on both of their coats, Kino mounted Hermes and revved his engine. Looking to their left, they could see Voline standing along the road.

“If you ever stop by again, make sure to visit!” She said, raising her voice to be heard over the engine. Kino waived back.

“Count on it!” They responded. The fog had lifted and the sun was out, making visibility perfect. They drove on up the road and out of Voline’s sight.

“See, I knew something was going on between you two.” Hermes noted.

“How much did you see?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lone rocket soared into the sky, a trail of fire pouring out from below it. On the radio, one could hear a woman shouting “Off we go!” in glee as it reached for the heavens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"Nevve" is the way "new" was sometimes written in 17th-century English.


End file.
